Sen. Blake Tillery Introduces Strong Accountability Legislation Against Sanctuary Cities for Illegal Immigrants

ATLANTA (January 29, 2025) — This week, Sen. Blake Tillery (R–Vidalia) introduced strong anti-illegal immigration legislation, increasing penalties on sanctuary cities in Georgia. Senate Bill (SB) 21 would allow local governments and their officials to be sued if they violate the state prohibition on immigration sanctuary policies. It would also require jails to temporarily hold illegal aliens at the federal government's request.

“Senate Bill 21 aligns the State of Georgia with President Trump’s vision for immigration reform,” said Sen. Tillery. “Sanctuary cities allow too many undocumented immigrants into the US and threaten our national and state security. By discouraging illegal aliens from finding refuge in Georgia, we do our part in mitigating the crisis at the southern border.”

The term “sanctuary city” refers to a city that has adopted a policy of resisting or refusing to cooperate with federal Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) agents unless presented with a court order or arrest warrant. SB 21 comes after President Trump promised to challenge sanctuary cities and state and local officials who resist the ongoing federal immigration crackdown.

Sen. Blake Tillery serves as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations. He represents the 19th Senate District, which includes Appling, Bacon, Jeff Davis, Long, Montgomery, Tattnall, Telfair, Toombs, Wayne and Wheeler counties, as well as a portion of Coffee County. He can be reached at (404) 6565038 or by email at Blake. Tillery@senate.ga.gov.